The Edna Calling

The other day in our Student Leadership Council meeting the theme was “super heroes”. The student leaders were supposed to say who their superhero was and tell why—some actually dressed up as their superhero. Paige, our council president, challenged us to think about superheroes and how they embody characteristics that we as leaders have.

As I was thinking about superheroes, two things came to my mind that I thought were interesting. One was that my superhero was Edna—the short little squeaky voice eccentric lady who equipped and empowered the superheroes with their costumes that helped make them more invincible and look good as they saved the world. They other thing was how superheroes are lonely—which made me think of the Apostle Paul—but that’s another blog for another time.

Do you know Edna from the movie The Incredibles? I love Edna. Here she lives and works in this super-cool fortress place with hyper security so she can develop outfits for the various superheroes to wear. But these outfits don’t just make the superheroes look good, they are uniquely designed to protect and enhance each unique superhero’s strengths and weaknesses. Elasta-Girl’s outfit matched the rest of her incredible family, but it was uniquely designed for her superpowers. It stretched in amazing directions and had amazing resistance against whatever elements came against it because of her various activities. Flash’s outfit could endure high speeds; the girls outfit could become invisible with her and so on.

That is very much my job—my calling—and so too of those who are involved in ministry to empower, equip and release students into their callings and gifting and passions—their superpowers! This is the “Edna Calling”. The Edna Calling is the calling to give our lives for the sake of empowering and equipping and releasing others into the ministry and into Kingdom advancement. Ours is a calling of seeing our work and our skills used and worn out by super-amazing people for years to come without the recognition of the world. When Batman saved Gotham for the how many-th time, no one during a press conference asked…”Batman, who makes your clothes?” Who looked into the designer label on Superman’s costume? No one! But the costume helped make the man/woman and enhanced their super powers or super abilities in a way that enabled them to keep the motif and more importantly to execute their calling to a superb level.

The Apostle Paul (see I can’t do this without referring to Paul) had the Edna Calling. His calling was to empower and equip their early church with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and instructed them on how to successfully live their lives in Christ without him there. Paul is quoted in Acts as saying to one group of church leaders: “but I do not account of my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus…”[1] Paul wrote to the Corinthians about his behind the scenes work: “I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls[2]…We are glad to seem weak if it helps show that you are actually strong. We pray that you will become mature….for I want to use the authority the Lord has given me to strengthen you, not tear you down.” [3] In another place he says, “But that does not mean that we want to dominate you by telling you how to put your faith into practice. We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm.”[4]

How cool it is from Edna’s perspective to be able to see the superheroes doing good and saving lives and fulfilling their higher calling...and us to as our student leaders do tremendous things. It’s the suits that we “helped them put on” that helps them be superheroes par-excellence! I just want the hyper-security system with the retina scan and the chair that moves me all over my office from desk to display chamber!
[1] Acts 20:24a esv
[2] 2 Corinthians 12:15a esv.
[3] 2 Corinthians 13:9, 10b nlt
[4] 2 Corinthians 1:24 nlt

Jeffersonian representative democracy is as much a tool to the furtherance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as medicine or aviation are tools in this same end. It is just that: a tool, an instrument, a means—not an ultimate goal!

Recent statistics report that only 4% of this younger generation will end up being genuine believers in Jesus Christ, which leaves 96% who aren’t. If that remains the case, what will our world become?

One of the by-products will be the sunset of representative democracy in America and around the world.

With the spread of democracy around the world, we have been amazingly and increasingly able to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. True, less missionaries die (and less crowns of martyrdom will result), but more people hear!

However, if the light of democracy dims in the earth, the window of opportunity that has provided us with such access, recourses, and freedom to reach masses of people in village upon village in the remotest places on earth to bring them the Gospel (which, as a by-product, tends to bring improvements in health, society and government).

As I see it, as the sun begins to set on democracy, we should have at least the 1st of two responses:

1. We can say that this is too western, too politically right wing or too whatever and we can continue to soothe the political nerves of those around us in our country and in our world. We can conform to what the majority thinks and not “rock the boat”. We can settle into the lie that we can’t force our beliefs on others because that makes us religious fanatics and too much like Islamic Jihadists. We can be intimidated by the liberal passivism way of life or we can stand in a loving and strong way for the betterment of the world in this life and for eternity through the tool of democracy.
2. I think we need to hustle. We need to “work while the sun is shining”. We need to mobilize our human and other resources to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth WHILE WE CAN! This may seem so political. It seems so politically not correct. Maybe it is or maybe it’s not—but does that matter? If something is good and productive and biblically sound, then who cares where it lines up politically? I propose that if we see representative democracy as an instrument of world-wide evangelism. It would also behoove us to work to promote and strengthen Jeffersonian Democracy at home and abroad. Not only so that we may live out our lives in peace, prosperity and freedom; not only that our children may also live in such a way and that they may not come under tyranny and oppression; but also so that our fellow believers around the world may also live in freedom, peace and prosperity and be freed from tyranny and oppression; and also to the ultimate end that more souls may hear the Gospel and be brought into a right relationship with Jesus Christ because the Gospel can be freely preached in more places.

I don’t know….just a thought…